The Director of Industrial Relations is charged with responsibility for labor management, national negotiations, mechanization, safety and health for all divisions of the union, and the administration of the collective bargaining agreement.

There’s more to being a progressive union than achieving and enforcing a contract — and that’s where the Human Relations Department comes in. Our programs and benefits inspire members to participate in the union and give them a sense of inclusion, contribution, and ownership.

The Maintenance Craft is a diverse and complex division of the APWU. In addition to the three national officers who work at the union's headquarters in Washington, DC, representation is provided by nine Maintenance National Business Agents (NBAs) and three all-craft NBAs.

The Motor Vehicle Craft is composed of APWU members who transport mail and maintain postal vehicles, and includes MVS Clerks, who work in Vehicle Maintenance Facilities and in Transportation Departments in mail processing plants.

The Support Services Division represents APWU bargaining unit members at Information Technology/ Accounting Service Centers, Operating Services facilities, Mail Equipment Shops and Material Distribution Centers, as well as professional nurses employed by the Postal Service. The Division also includes APWU-represented workers who are employed in the private sector, including mail haul drivers and Mail Transport Equipment Service Center employees.

The Northeast Regional Coordinator is responsible for union activity in parts of New York and New Jersey, and Connecticut, Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Vermont, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.

The Western Region Coordinator is responsible for the union's activities in Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, Wyoming, and American Samoa, Guam and Saipan.

APWU POWER (Post Office Women for Equal Rights) is the women’s committee within the American Postal Workers Union. It unites women, with their special concerns, yet works within the framework of the national APWU organization.

The APWU National Postal Press Association (PPA) provides APWU communicators with a wide range of assistance, information, and educational programs concerning the publication of union newsletters and media.

Latest News

In the coming weeks, Congress is expected to consider a wrongheaded bill to "Fast Track" passage of the international trade deal known as Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). TPP would be the largest trade deal in history, including countries from the United States to Chile to Japan and Vietnam, covering 40% of the world economy. Fast Track legislation (also called Trade Promotion Authority, or TPA), which is supported by the White House and most congressional Republicans, would make it significantly easier to pass the Trans-Pacific Partnership into law.

03/01/2015 - (This article first appeared in the March-April 2015 issue of The American Postal Worker magazine.)

This winter, the APWU and community volunteers joined the Veterans Administration (VA) to give help and hope to veterans at the 19th annual Winterhaven Stand Down. This was the eighth consecutive year that APWU officers and staff participated in the event – providing assistance to hundreds of veterans in need.

More than 700 homeless and at-risk veterans were transported from area shelters and off the streets. When they arrived to the Washington, D.C. VA Medical Center, volunteers greeted them with a hot breakfast and coffee, kind smiles, handshakes, words of encouragement and expressions of gratitude for their service.

Contract Negotiations:

03/01/2015 - (This article first appeared in the March-April 2015 issue of The American Postal Worker magazine.)

Contract negotiations between the American Postal Workers Union and the United States Postal Service got underway on Feb. 19 in a dramatic break with tradition.

Joining the APWU at the opening session were actor-activist Danny Glover and AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka, who made brief remarks following a statement by President Mark Dimondstein. National Association of Letter Carriers President Fredric Rolando joined APWU negotiators at the bargaining table as well.

The presence of special guests was designed to send a message: The U.S. Postal Service belongs to the people, and the people have a stake in the union’s fight to protect and strengthen a great national treasure.

03/01/2015 - (This article first appeared in the March-April 2015 issue of The American Postal Worker magazine.)

The services that Americans depend on are often on the chopping block. When it comes to seniors, attacks on Social Security and Medicare are just the tip of the iceberg. Who exactly is standing up for retirees?

Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) and Rep. Doris O. Matsui (D-CA) recently wrote a letter to President Obama, urging him “to work to strengthen and improve Social Security and Medicare benefits.” Schakowsky, who spoke at our last convention, also addressed concerns about the “Chained CPI” (Consumer Price Index) and proposals for cutting benefits through “means testing” – a phrase you will hear often during the 114th Congress.

So what exactly is “means testing” for Social Security and why are we opposed to it?

03/01/2015 - (This article first appeared in the March-April 2015 issue of The American Postal Worker magazine.)

Postal employees are hardworking and giving. Many hold down two jobs. Some run a side business or help with a family business, while others volunteer for their favorite charities.

These activities are not something we would typically need to divulge, but the law requires individuals who are injured on the job and collecting wage-loss compensation (WLC) to disclose all sources of income, paid and unpaid work activities, business interests and volunteer services to the Office of Workers Compensation (OWCP).

Failure to report or attempts to conceal income and activities can result in forfeiture of benefits and criminal prosecution under the False Claims Act or other applicable laws.

03/01/2015 - (This article first appeared in the March-April 2015 issue of The American Postal Worker magazine.)

The Equal Pay Act, signed by President John F. Kennedy in 1963, made it illegal to pay men and women working the same job different salaries. Unfortunately, it did not close the wage gap.

When the act was passed, women were earning an average of 59 cents on the dollar compared to men. Today, while women hold nearly half of the jobs performing similar work, women earn about 78 cents for every dollar a man earns – a gap that results in hundreds of thousands of dollars in lost wages.

03/01/2015 - (This article first appeared in the March-April 2015 issue of The American Postal Worker magazine.)

Organizing is our union’s strength and essential to our survival. When contract negotiations take place, inevitably non-members ask questions about issues that are discussed during bargaining.

That’s a great opportunity to remind non-members that only union members have input into negotiations. It’s also a good time to point out that union members are forced to pay non-members’ share of the costs associated with negotiating and enforcing the contract.

We all know the phrases, have seen the posters and read the posts on social media. “Strength in Solidarity,” “Union Power” and “United We Bargain, Divided We Beg.”

It's Not Too Late

03/01/2015 - (This article first appeared in the March-April 2015 issue of The American Postal Worker magazine.)

The time to act is now! On Nov. 14, 2014, our national day of action, we had protests at 150 sites and at least one activity in every state. It was one of our biggest turnouts. We appreciate those who stood on the front lines and spoke out against management policies that are destroying our communities, our jobs, and the Postal Service.

03/01/2015 - (This article first appeared in the March-April 2015 issue of The American Postal Worker magazine.)

Postal workers’ allies in the 114th Congress are attempting to reverse the drastic slowdown of the mail caused by postal management’s decision to lower service standards and reconfigure mail processing, effective Jan. 5.

Rep. Dave McKinley (R-WV) introduced House Resolution 54 on Jan. 27. Submitted with bipartisan support, the resolution states that the Postal Service should take all appropriate measures to restore the service standards that were in effect as of July 1, 2012.